Her breath calm, Shining didn't look like she was running at the speed of sound. Shattering the ground every step she took.
The Sarkaz's face was ice cold. No emotion on her face whatsoever. Her blade had a certain glint on it while she held it to the side, ready to cut everything on her path.
In five minutes, she arrived at Chernobog that looked worse for wear. Nian's metal giant and Adele's last attack did a number to the city.
For Shining though, it was a walk in the park as she leaped over the ruins. And she landed on the edge of the city without a single sound.
Her eyes squinted and she tried to get a feel of any soul nearby, literally. Shining then opened her eyes and looked at a high rise.
She traveled there like a missile and there, she saw someone familiar who was looking over Rhodes island and Deliverance's team, Platinum.
"Who did she fight?" Shining was impatient and Platinum gave her a drawing. The Sarkaz gave it a look and memorized it immediately.
"Where are they?" Shining's breath quickened. They were the ones responsible for Adele's death. The hope of the world's sister. And someone she admires as a person who researches to try and end catastrophes.
Platinum gave her a map with a pin and Shining quickly interpreted it. "Give it to them good." The assassin was glaring in the direction she pointed her at.
It was her mission to ensure that what happened didn't occur. It not only fill her with immense shame, it also made her melancholic. She was the most angry, towards herself.
"I will..." Shining gritted her teeth. She has never felt like this before. Even when she decided to run away from the confessarius due to what happened to Liz.
Shining disappeared with a gust of wind and Platinum nodded. "For him, and for her." She continued to watch the rescue team and no hostiles went near them at a kilometer radius.
The loud sound of her rifle sounded once again as she pulled the bolt. Making sure that nothing went near them as they made their way out of Chernobog.
Arriving at the top of a building, Shining saw an entourage of soldiers with crossbows and machetes.
They were circling around a group of students and one of them dragged a blonde ursine through her hair.
Shining didn't wait a single second and she dropped down right at the middle of the two groups.
And before they could even ask, she disappeared in a flash of light. Her blade not even receiving a drop of blood with how fast she cut them.
"Who are you?" One of them asked and Shining stabbed a rock near her, throwing it at the guy who asked.
It hit his head and then he widened his eyes. His neck spurting like a fountain at every beat of the man's heart.
"Stay here and don't move." Shining threw a bespactacled ursine with silver hair her phone.
She then disappeared again like the wind, with dozens of corpses nearby without any heads.
After moving around looking for someone, she felt heat that just got created and she locked on to it.
Meeting the perpetrator face to face, Shining's eyes dilated. Every strand of her hair, every pore, the pattern of her irises. Shining burned it into her mind.
"You fought a caprinae recently?" Shining calmed her breathing and Talulah raised a brow at her.
"She was quite strong, it was a shame she was with idealists." Talulah's eyes widened and she barely blocked Shining's blade with the flat of hers.
"I see, then you shouldn't resist and just die peacefully." Shining looked at her eyes, cold as ice.
Shining kicked her right at her abdomen and Talulah broke through a couple of walls.
The Sarkaz brandished her sword to the side and silently walked towards the opponent calmly.
A pillar of flames raged towards her and she just stepped to the side like she didn't even move.
Talulah clicked her tongue and knew that Shining wasn't rabble like everyone else.
"You are strong, shame that you are with the idealists as well." Talulah scoffed.
Shining disappeared after her raised foot tapped the floor and she was in front of a spooked Talulah.
"Idealists? We aren't Rhodes island girl." Shining slashed at her and Talulah blocked it with a jet powered swing herself.
The Draco backed away and Shining just stared at her. Shining started to take a step and once again, when her foot hit the ground. She disappeared without a trace like a ghost.
Talulah's eyes widened as she disappeared even faster. She then felt someone behind her and Shining disappeared again after she turned.
Swinging her sword horizontally, Talulah was shocked once again as Shining was standing at the tip of her blade even though the edge was aligned vertically.
"Weak." She pointed her sword right at her throat and Talulah breathed fire at the Sarkaz.
"Argh!" Talulah cried out in pain as she felt stabbing pain at her right thigh. Shining skewered it right through with her thin sword.
The Draco swung her sword uselessly again and her other thigh got stabbed too.
Talulah was losing her cool and her free hand erupted with fire. The whole city block they were in got incinerated with flames and the branching streets turned red hot.
Looking around vigilantly, Talulah suddenly heard a thud on the ground. She looked at the source and it was an arm.
"Was that something important? I hope not." Shining was right in front of her and Talulah gasped as she can't even feel pain.
Shining cut it so cleanly that it was almost cut at the molecular level that her nerves didn't even register any stimulus.
She screamed though after cauterizing the stump or she would bleed to death.
"Who are you?" Talulah glared at her. Shining was famous in Kazdel, but Ursus was another thing.
"Nothing special, Ash sends his regards." Shining moved in again and Talulah instinctively moved backwards with a jet right in front of her torso.
But she lost her balance and dropped on the ground. Her eyes widening once again as one of her legs was upright at her previous position.
"Hmph, admirable attempt. But I won't miss again." Shining brandished her blade.
Talulah now knew why she was so strong. The Sarkaz was definitely one of his elites. She only knew Margaret and Degenbrecher.
'I can't die here! This vessel is the very best I can ask for!' She hissed inside of her mind and used up her arts with all her might.
Shining had to recoil from the sudden surge of flames and she saw something burn in the sky.
She immediately scaled the ruins and built up momentum. Shining jumped, shattering a building with the power of her legs.
But she was decelerating and the target isn't. So she aimed and threw her thin sword like a javelin.
Talulah got hit at her remaining leg and the Draco pulled it out with a hiss. Focusing on propelling herself as far away from Chernobog as possible.
"Damn it." Shining cursed as she miscalculated. She was aiming right at her side to skewer her liver, lung, and hit the heart.
But Talulah's speed suddenly quickened after seeing her build up momentum on buildings.
"I remember your face... You better not let me meet you again girl. I will take your soul." Shining found her sword and was planning on using the techniques of the confessarius on her.
"Better find the Rhodes island operatives and our team." Shining swung her sword to rid it of blood.
At the rescue team, Maria began to wake up and she stirred. "Hmm, is the mission complete?" She looked around and they were still travelling.
"Not yet." Ace replied succinctly and Maria looked around. "Sorry, I passed out from using my arts too much. Hey, did Adele. Ahem, Eyjafjalla scout for us or something?" Maria didn't see her.
Ace stopped for a quick second and Kal'tsit frowned heavily. They knew what happened outside.
Nian and Paradiso's other dragon fought tooth and nail against him when he was going on a rampage. Kal'tsit was terrified of what he would do when he wakes up.
Not only can he go toe to toe with two of them, she was sure it was a pretty lucky victory too. Because if he was fighting against them while conscious. She doesn't want to even imagine his catastrophic attacks being pointed against someone tactically while he was in control.
"This isn't going to be pretty Maria Nearl... But Adele Naumann is most likely KIA." Kal'tsit informed her with a grave face.
"K-KIA... Don't joke around Dr. Kal'tsit..." Maria looked at the others to see their reaction and Monch just nodded at her.
"Mistress Adele gave us a window to escape. Ash-sama rampaged hundreds of miles away from Chernobog, but we still felt it clearly from here." Monch explained the evidence and Maria began to hyperventilate.
"N-no... That's not true, Adele's smart. She's one of the smartest people I know, she can get out of there alive." Maria's pupils dilated.
"We have to move Maria..." Ace put her down and the pegasus kneeled down. "No... That's a sick joke! Shut up! Ash's sister is alive!" Maria was in denial.
Ace and Kal'tsit gritted their teeth. They know it more than anyone. Because she saw her stay and told them to run away.
"It's true..." They heard a voice come from the side and everybody prepared to fight. "S-Shining... Not you too? Tell me it's not, you're just going along with them right?" She was desperate.
Shining shook her head and the pegasus went limp. The Sarkaz used her arts to knock her out. Pulling on her soul for a split second.
"Carry her, I will be the one leading us." Shining looked at Kal'tsit and the feline nodded.
Shining led them to the small group of students earlier and they were just there, huddling up together.
"Kid, my phone." Shining looked at the bespactacled ursine and she handed it to her.
"Need transport, multiple people injured." Shining called the pilot that transported them earlier.
The Dokutah was quiet and Amiya was too. This little mission that's supposed to be an easy covert one turned into a disaster of epic proportions.
Amiya was stewing in her thoughts, thinking she was weak and useless. Deliverance's team were the key operators of the mission and they even lost one of them.
She blamed herself for their misgivings. While the Dokutah being an amnesiac. Everything that happened of course traumatized him.
He saw Adele stop and wait for their pursuer. She didn't even give a second look to her comrades and trusted that they'll complete the mission.
After a little bit of waiting, a chopper arrived and they boarded it without any trouble.
They went to Rhodes island and Nian carried the others after recovering some strength.
The waiting Rhodes island residents saw the rescue team and they were all beat up.
"Is the Dokutah okay?" Amiya saw that he was out like a light. "Just sleeping, probably relaxed after we got out of Chernobog." Doberman checked on him.
"He's fine, come on." Kal'tsit ordered and they were being asked if everything was fine.
"Kal'tsit, give us our payment." Shining looked at the feline and some operators thought they were being arrogant.
"Hey, that's not the way to talk to Dr. Kal-" A guy was about to argue, but Ace put a hand on his shoulders and shook his head immediately.
"I'll call for her." Kal'tsit knew that apologizing would be bad and she just ordered for Closure to be there.
"A bad trade. But I guess you'll be better than nothing." Shining put a hand on Closure's face and inspected her.
Closure shivered at Shining's cold and calculating gaze. It was like she was dissecting her with it.
"Let's go, I should say it was nice working with Rhodes island. But this would've been prevented if your elite ops really were that, elite." Shining was disappointed at their elite operators.
They then returned to Paradiso. "Ummm, I'm sorry for your loss." Closure couldn't take the atmosphere inside the chopper. It was dead silent.
They just looked at her and nodded. Making Closure feel more awkward.
Every one of them felt that there is a new goal to accomplish. And that is to hunt down Neo-Reunion with all their might.
Paradiso will bear down its might for the whole world to see. Overwhelming military might that just a mention of their home will bring terror and fear to anyone's heart.
__
Thanks for reading everywhere